CatHouse Chat

OK, finally - the dreaded Hawaii slide pic!

Yeah, yeah, but it's a (first year) tradition (second year), and I have one fan who would be gravely disappointed if I didn't post it (yep, he's pretty weird... BWAHAHA!)

For Sonnabend

  Hilton Waikoloa Village Fun 
  Originally uploaded by Romeocat.

... Because he keeps twitting me about last year's photo, and I figured I'd give him more ammo...

School's.Out.For.SUMMER!

Oh, yeah, I remember what that felt like! But today was the Darling Munchkin's last day of school, and she's now enjoying the pool with a friend...

I'm wondering, will she succeed in her mission to completely saturate herself with chlorine before the summer is over?

... I bet she can...!

LOL - having FUN!

Oh, we're having a good time! Seth regales us with LOTS of funny stories...

Dinner update...

OK, dinner is grilled chicken with BBQ saucs, grilled zucchini, and green beans (hey, it's a green night, LOL!).

We've been yakking politics, local and international (and the Beloved Hubby is enjoying it too...), AOW and I have been in the pool with the Munchkin... We've been sucking down the Sangria and Laphroig (well, SETH's been boozing on the single malt)...

AOW has met a real-life but more intelligent Ducky (photo to follow via moblog). The tiki torches are up and running...

We really miss Raven and Ogre and KENDER!!!!! Wish they could've been here RIGHT NOW... But then they're just missing  REALLY GOOD TIME, and they'll just have to feel our love vibes as **WE** have lots of fun...

The last (I think) pool-installation blogging

... although, I could of course be wrong... I suspect that future pool blogging will focus on us enjoying our beautiful new pool!

I felt the last post was getting a bit long, so I decided to post the most recent pics here.

The REAL reason to pool-blog

My little mermaid....

FINALLY - more pool blogging!

Yeah, yeah, I know - I've been derelict in my duties. But, I plead a somewhat stalled project until now: the rain we had recently delayed things significantly. However, the pool itself is now done, except for some cosmetic regrading! Woo-hoo!

It. Looks. BEAUTIFUL!!

(and this is going to be one of those update-as-I-write-posts, so it will be changing over the next hour or so...)

First customer for the pool

I should have been keeping you-all up to date on how much the Darling Munckin is enjoying the pool already - even though it's not "ready" to swim in yet.

*sigh* When has that ever stopped my little fish?

First, she loved the sand pile -

Then she inspected the pool when it was delivered -

And then she insisted on trying out the water, even before the pool was full, or the water properly filtered to sparkling cleanliness!

Now that the pool is full, she's been begging to go back in, but I've told her she's got to wait until tomorrow evening, at least, so the concrete accent band has time to dry a bit...

I can tell that once the pool is operational, I'm going to have major difficulties prying her out of it! Oh, well, I suppose I need to stock up on sunblock...

Pool installation blogging - still catching up

Now that the pool has been placed in its hole, it gets filled with water (on the inside, LOL), and back filled on the outside so everything remains properly formed and level. This takes a LOT of work!

One of the guys working on this is Eddie, and he always seems to get stuck with shovelling the sand down into the hole for backfill. He was joking with the other guys today about being buried with a golden shovel... I broke in and said, "Nah, probably not a gold shovel, but I bet they'll spring for a silver one, at least!"

They're very good-natured guys; I like their sense of humor and the laid-back professionalism with which they do their jobs.

One of the other things which takes a lot is actually filling this pool. It is very big - the biggest model that Viking Pools offers. If I remember correctly, the Beloved Husband says it takes over 20,000 gallons of water to fill! Wow...

Today, the guys finished backfilling around the pool (and the water is pretty much topped off, now, too), and made the forms for the white cement band which will encircle the pool. The cement will actually come up three or four inches above the pool edge you see, and rest on it. The slight overhang into the pool will be rounded - a bull nose finish, did they call it? - and make the pool look very finished and elegant.

And these are the crazy, wonderful guys who have been putting up with my nosiness - although K.D., at the right end, says he's not doing the pool, he's helped out a lot anyway. Mark is next to K.D., and really maneuvers the BobCat very well: he can drop a load of sand with pin-point precision. Mike is next to Mark (Lord only knows how I manage to keep them straight - I just know I'll mix up their names soon), and keeps everything orderly and moving. I hope he's training to supervise pool installations, because I think he'll be very good at it. Last - but never least - is Eddie on the left. Eddie's a great guy, always cheerful and has a quick smile - and willing to do that heavy work with a "can-do" attitude. God bless 'em, they're a great group of guys!